Madison in Dane County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lincoln Statue

By William J. Toman, June 10, 2010

1. Lincoln Statue in front of Bascom Hall near North Hall

Inscription.

Lincoln Statue. . First Marker: . The original of this statue was provided by joint appropriations of the Congress of the United States and the State of Kentucky as a national memorial located in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln's native town. This, the only replica, was granted to this university through the courtesy and cordiality of the State of Kentucky in recognition of the living leadership of Lincoln's spirit to all of our sister states. The setting was provided by the State of Wisconsin . Resolution, Board of Regents, May 10, 1952 . This plaque given by the Class of 1983 . . Second Marker: . This replica of the Kentucky statue of Abraham Lincoln was obtained for this university through the efforts of Richard Lloyd Jones, Wisconsin student and founder of the Lincoln Farm Association which built the memorial at Lincoln's birthplace, and through the generosity of the sculptor, Adolph A. Weinman, in freely granting this replica to Wisconsin. The cast and pedestal were the gift of Thomas E. Brittingham, regent and benefactor of the university. . Resolution, Board of Regents, May 10, 1952 . This plaque given by the class of 1983

First Marker:
The original of this statue was provided by joint appropriations of the Congress of the United States and the State of Kentucky as a national memorial located in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln's native town. This, the only replica, was granted to this university through the courtesy and cordiality of the State of Kentucky in recognition of the living leadership of Lincoln's spirit to all of our sister states. The setting was provided by the State of Wisconsin
Resolution, Board of Regents, May 10, 1952
This plaque given by the Class of 1983

Second Marker:
This replica of the Kentucky statue of Abraham Lincoln was obtained for this university through the efforts of Richard Lloyd Jones, Wisconsin student and founder of the Lincoln Farm Association which built the memorial at Lincoln's birthplace, and through the generosity of the sculptor, Adolph A. Weinman, in freely granting this replica to Wisconsin. The cast and pedestal were the gift of Thomas E. Brittingham, regent and benefactor of the university.
Resolution, Board of Regents, May 10, 1952
This plaque given by the class of 1983

Erected by University of Wisconsin-Madison Class of 1983.

Location. 43° 4.52′ N,

By William J. Toman, June 10, 2010

2. First marker for Lincoln Statue

89° 24.239′ W. Marker is in Madison, Wisconsin, in Dane County. Marker is on Lincoln Drive just south of Observatory Drive. Touch for map. The marker is in front of Bascom Hall at the top of Bascom Hill on the University of Wisconsin campus. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison WI 53706, United States of America.

More about this marker. While the markers were placed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Class of 1983, the statue itself was unveiled at commencement ceremonies on June 22, 1909.

Madison is the only place to house a replica of Adolph A. Weinman's original statue, which was erected in Lincoln's hometown of Hodgenville, Kentucky. While similar, Weinman's sculpture is not a copy of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Also see . . .

By William J. Toman, June 10, 2010

3. Second marker for Lincoln statue

1. The Lincoln statue atop Bascom Hall gets scrubbed. This article by Todd Finkelmeyer was published in The Cap Times on August 19, 2009. It includes some background on the statue, including the fact it was moved from its original location in 1919. (Submitted on June 21, 2010.)

2. Surrounded by Reality. The story of the cemetery formerly occupying the statue site. (Submitted on November 10, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin.)

By William J. Toman, November 10, 2010

4. Lincoln Statue Markers

The markers are on the retaining walls on either side of the statue.

By William J. Toman, July 4, 2012

5. Side View of Lincoln Statue

Eleven score and sixteen years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

By William J. Toman, June 17, 2010

6. Gettysburg Address

Plaque on Bascom Hall: "Presented to the University of Wisconsin by the Commander-in-Chief, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, September 1978"

By William J. Toman, June 17, 2010

7. Plaque on Bascom Hall

"Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great State University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found."(taken from a report of the Board of Regents in 1894)Memorial, Class of 1910.

By William J. Toman, November 10, 2010

8. Grave Markers Next to Statue

According to a web site about Madison, see Surrounded by Reality link, "In 1909 the Lincoln Statue was first placed on University Hill. Later it was decided to move the statue closer to Main Hall [now Bascom Hall], and that a terrace would be built around it. On July 13, 1918 while excavating the site human bones were found.

"The skeletons were identified as William Nelson and Samuel Warren, two men who died in Madisonís very early beginnings and were buried here. Rusty nails were also found among the bones so itís believed they were buried in wooden coffins that rotted away. Markers were put into the terrace with their initials and the year of their death. The bones are still there."

The very small markers are visible inset in the cement next to the top step, at the bottom of the photo in the center and on the right.

By William J. Toman, November 10, 2010

9. William Nelson Grave Marker

According to the Surrounded by Reality web site, see link, William Nelson died of typhoid fever in 1837.

By William J. Toman, November 10, 2010

10. Samuel Warren Grave Marker

According to the Surrounded by Reality web site, see link, Samuel Warren was a construction worker struck by lightning in 1838 while working on Madison's first Capitol building.

By E.A. Bishop, circa 1930

11. Lincoln Monument and a Part of Main Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on June 21, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 875 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 11, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 4. submitted on November 10, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 5. submitted on July 4, 2012, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 6, 7. submitted on June 21, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 8, 9, 10. submitted on November 10, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 11. submitted on November 15, 2014. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.

We are suspending Amazon.com advertising until they remove an ad for a certain book from circulation. A word in the bookís title has given rise to number of complaints. The word is inappropriate in school classroom settings.